Daughter of the Deadman: Another Place & Time
Geez, guys. I have had this chapter written out since like 2015 and didn't realize it. I am a dumbo. Hopefully this is going to help me get back into my writing. It had better. I'm gonna be honest, I burnt myself out. A lot. And I'm still trying to recover.
Thanks to: duelistamy, blackbear1020, Wolfgirl2013, tomwilliams1990, and kakashishot for their reviews.
See ya at the bottom
Chapter 9: Revealing the Past
Four months had passed. Kristal had been charged with assault and battery and kidnapping. She had been sentenced to five years in jail and five years of probation. As part of her probation, she was to stay away from her daughter and Granddaughter or else risk going back to jail. Meanwhile, Angel was five months old now and was learning to crawl and to babble. She could get up on her hands and knees, but still hadn't quite worked out how to move herself forward. The only distinguishable things she could say were "Ma" and "Da". All the rest of it came out as babble.
Mark was due back on the road that day and thankfully, despite everything that had happened, the renovations on the bus were done. Mark had even hired a driver so that he wouldn't have to drive the bus himself after a long night's work. They were meeting Bret and the others in Dallas, which was a few hours away. Mark stored their bags in the bag compartment of the bus and climbed on. Beth followed, carrying Angel.
She gasped. It looked absolutely beautiful on the inside. It was essentially a giant great room that was done up in red, purple and black. Beth was also pleased to find the fridge and cupboards were full of food when she opened them. There was even baby food and bottles for Angel. There was a crib, playpen, and change table for her too and they were bolted to the floor so they wouldn't slide around. There was also a lounge that would serve as Mark and Beth's bedroom and a full kitchen and bathroom.
"Wow, Mark. This is great" Beth said, handing Angel to him .
"What do you think, baby girl?" Mark asked.
Angel looked around with wide eyes. Then she clapped and smiled, making her parents laugh. However, as soon as the bus started moving, Angel started crying and hugged her father tighter.
"Hey now. Don't cry, baby girl. You're alright" he said.
He stood up and walked over to the window. Angel's eyes widened as she stared at her Dad. She didn't understand what was going on or why the things outside the windows were moving.
"We're moving, baby girl"
Angel looked at him. Then she smiled and turned her attention back to the window so that she could watch what was going on. About five minutes later, Mark looked down and noticed that Angel was asleep in his arms. He smiled and laid her in her playpen. Beth grinned at him. He was a great father to Angel and a great husband to her. He walked over and sat down next to her, running a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath.
"Bethy, listen. Before we get to Dallas, there are things that I need to tell you…about my past. I should have told you sooner, but.."
"It's OK, Mark"
"OK. When I was younger, my Mother, Father, Baby Brother, and I all lived in the family funeral home. When I was two, the man that worked for my father as an apprentice drugged my mother and…well, he raped her. My brother was born nine months later. My father always treated him like his own. But the thing was…my brother had a weird sort of fascination with fire. One day, he burnt the home we lived in to the ground"
"Oh, my god!"
"He, my Father, and my Mother were all killed. My Mother passed her powers onto me so that I could escape–which I did–but I was left with no family"
"Oh, my god. Mark, that's awful"
"I was left in the care of the man who fathered my brother. His name is Paul Bearer. When I was eighteen, I got away, but he resurfaced. Now, he manages me in the WWE. When I'm in the ring, he controls me"
"No way!"
"Yes, way. And I'm telling you all this now because I want you to stay in the locker room. He cannot see you or Angel. If he does, I don't know what he'd do. All I want to do is keep you two safe"
"OK, Mark. I understand. Just be careful out there OK?"
"I will. Don't worry"
Beth hugged him. It was all she could think of to do to comfort him. She had seen the pain in his eyes when he was talking about his past. She felt anger toward his brother, who had started the fire. They spent the next few hours on the way to Dallas talking. When they arrived in the City, the driver drove them straight to the AT Centre. They got off the bus and went into the arena. Mark took Angel and Beth to the Hart's locker room. Beth walked over to the couch and sat down. Then she took Angel from her car seat and held her. Angel was still asleep, but she looked happy and healthy.
"How is she?" Bret asked.
"She's doing great," Beth answered.
Mark took a seat next to Beth on the couch. That was when Kristy crawled over and pulled herself up, using his legs. Mark got the message. He picked Kristy up and sat her on his lap. She had blond hair now, whereas when they had seen her before, she had had black baby hair. Her eyes were still blue, but they seemed darker than they had been before as if they were changing colour. She looked up at Mark with big bright eyes and a big bright smile.
"And how is my Little Kristy doing?" he asked.
"She's doing alright. We're a little worried though. She doesn't seem to be showing any signs of talking. We took her to see someone and they said that babies do develop at different rates, but that if nothing happens by her first birthday then something is probably wrong" Davey said.
Beth and Taker nodded. They looked at Kristy and saw that she was staring at Angel curiously. Then she reached out her arms as if telling Beth to hand Angel to her. Beth figured out what she was thinking quite quickly.
"No, Little Kristy, this isn't a new toy, sweetheart," Beth said.
"She thinks Angel is a doll?" Bret said.
"Yeah. It seems like she thinks Angel is a toy" Mark said.
"How do we explain this?" Owen asked.
"Easy. Owen, hand me one of Kristy's toys" Beth said.
Owen looked at her in confusion, but he picked up one of Kristy's toys and handed it to Beth. Beth looked at Kristy. Then she pointed to Angel and then to the toy and then shook her head. Kristy stared at Beth intently, but after a minute she nodded, understanding that Angel was not in fact a toy. Then she pointed to Angel and looked at Beth curiously, almost as if asking where Angel had come from. In response, Beth pointed to Angel, then herself, and finally to Mark. Kristy nodded in understanding, now realizing that Angel belonged to her Aunt Beth and Uncle Taker. Just then, Angel woke up and looked around. She started to cry upon finding herself in a strange room with random people. Kristy shook her head, obviously able to tell that Angel was upset and crying. She crawled over Mark's legs and gave Angel a hug, putting her arms around her. Angel stopped crying and looked at her. Then she looked up at Beth.
"Ma?" she asked.
"This is Kristy, sweetheart. And apparently she doesn't want you to cry" Beth said.
"Ka?" Angel said, looking at Kristy.
"Kristy" Mark said.
"Ka!" Angel said, clapping her hands.
Beth laughed. Just then, the door opened and Diana came in. They were stunned that she would even show up here. Everyone looked at Kristy. She froze for a quick second. Then she let go of Angel. She crawled back over to Mark and hugged him, burying her head in his shoulder this time.
"You're OK, Kristy. Don't worry" Mark said.
"Diana, what are you doing here?" Owen asked.
"More importantly, how did you get back here?" Davey asked.
"I flew here to pick up Kristy," Diana answered.
"You can't just walk in here and take Kristy! She doesn't want to be with you!" Davey said.
"I'm taking her home! The road is no place for her! She needs stability!" Diana said.
"Oh, please. Don't pretend you care" Davey said.
"She's my daughter. I do care about her, Davey" Diana said.
"Right. That's why you left her alone in the tub for over an hour while you talked on the phone and let her nearly freeze to death" Beth snapped, standing up with Angel still in her arms.
"Beth, that was an accident! Why would I harm her?" Diana said.
"Because you didn't want her! You only had her to please me! You know it, I know it, and the family knows it too" Davey said.
"You don't know anything, Davey," Diana said.
"You're not taking her, Diana! Look at her! She's terrified of you! She's got her head buried in Mark's shoulder!" Owen said.
"And she's shaking like a leaf," Mark added.
"Not to mention that she went cold the second you walked into the room" Beth said.
"I don't care! Hand her over! Now!" Diana snapped.
"No!" Mark said, a slight growl creeping into his voice.
"Just leave, Diana!" Beth said.
"Not without Kristy." Diana said.
"NA!" Angel shouted, making everyone jump.
"Angel Baby…" Beth started.
It was too late. Before anyone knew what had happened, Diana was thrown from the room. Everyone was stunned. They looked at Mark, thinking he had done it. He shook his head.
"Wait…Angel did that?" Bret asked, stunned.
"Wow!" Owen said.
"How did she…?" Davey asked.
"Mark?" Beth asked.
"They know about my powers. Don't worry." Mark said.
"Angel has them?" Owen said.
"Yep, but she's got no control over them though, since she's a baby, obviously" Mark said.
"That still doesn't explain what just happened," Bret said.
"My best guess? She got angry at Diana just now and it triggered them. Either that or she senses something about Diana and doesn't want her near Kristy" Mark said.
"Angel Baby, are you OK?" Beth asked.
Angel blinked up at Beth. She smiled at her mother, looking no different than before. Although, she seemed oddly calm now.
"I think she's fine." Beth said.
"Angel…" Mark said.
He stood up, still holding Kristy. He placed his hand on Angel's forehead, hoping to get an explanation about what had just happened.
She's a bad lady, Daddy. Please don't let her near Kristy anymore. Kristy could get hurt. Angel told him before he could even ask.
"She doesn't like Diana." Mark said, removing his hand from Angel's forehead.
"She was protecting Kristy." Davey said in shock.
"Yeah, she was." Beth said.
"Ma?" Angel asked.
"It's OK, Angel Baby, you did a good thing." Beth said.
"I don't get it. How does she know what Diana is really like?" Davey said.
"It was like she could tell that Diana was about to try and take Kristy by force" Bret said.
"That's because she could. And she can sense what Diana is actually like, despite the fake image Diana puts out" Mark said.
"Well…I don't understand exactly what happened and quite frankly, I'm not sure I really want to, but thank you, Angel." Davey said.
Angel looked from Bret to Davey and back again. Then she smiled. Mark sighed. He had to get going. He sat Kristy down and she crawled over to Owen and sat at his feet. Mark hugged Beth and kissed her. Then he took Angel and gave her a hug and kiss too.
"Daddy has to go to work now, OK? You be a good girl for Mommy and I'll be back soon" he said.
Angel stared at him for a second and blinked. Then she started to cry again, loudly this time. Mark sighed and placed his hand on her forehead again.
Daddy, please stay. Please don't go
Angel, honey, I have to.
But why? Do you not love us anymore? Are you leaving forever?
No, baby girl. I just have to go for a little bit. I need you and Mommy to stay here because it's safe. That's all. I'll be back soon. I promise.
Angel stopped crying at that. She relaxed considerably. Mark kissed her forehead and handed her back to Beth. Then he kissed Beth once more and left. Beth sighed. She couldn't help but be worried. According to Mark, this man controls him and makes him do whatever he wants. She thought.
"Hey, Beth? Don't worry. Mark knows what he's doing. He loves you and Angel too. He's just trying to keep you both safe" Bret said.
"Paul's manipulated Mark into this somehow. He knows something. And if Paul ever got ahold of you two…" Owen started.
"I understand, but I can't help but worry about what he'll make Mark do" Beth said.
"The usual. Beat his opponent" Bret said.
"That's it? Really?" Beth asked.
"Pretty much. Even though we're all sure he's got something on Mark that no one knows about" Davey said, as he picked up Kristy from where she was sitting.
Suddenly, Angel started to cry louder than any of them had ever heard up to this point. Beth looked at the monitor. It was Mark. Beth got an odd feeling just from watching. It was as if Mark's soul had completely vanished from his body. He wasn't himself.
"Beth?" Owen asked.
"It's nothing." Beth said.
"OK" Davey answered, struggling to hold onto Kristy.
"Kristy, quit squirming. It's alright. Angel will be alright" Owen said.
"Is it because Angel is crying?" Bret asked.
"Apparently. And it's making Kristy upset" Davey said.
Hm. I wonder…can she sense the change in her father even though she's here and he's there? And…if she can, she likes it about as much as me. Beth thought.
"Angel, it's alright. Shush now, baby. Your Daddy is going to be OK. Don't cry, baby" Beth said, trying to soothe her.
It didn't work. Angel continued to cry and Beth could see that Kristy was becoming more and more agitated. Beth decided that the best thing to do was to take a bit of a risk. She turned and left the locker room. She didn't go anywhere, but instead just paced back and forth. Angel relaxed somewhat, but continued to whimper a little. Beth was curious as to what Angel had felt and what she had been thinking. She decided to try what Mark had done and placed her hand on Angel's forehead and concentrated.
Mommy, what did that man do to Daddy?
I have no idea, Angel Baby, but he was different, wasn't he?
He was missing all the stuff that makes him Daddy.
I know, sweetheart, but I promise that your Daddy is going to be OK. I promise
I hope so.
Beth nodded. She continued to pace outside the door, waiting for Mark to come back. It was about twenty minutes after everything had happened, he finally reappeared. He seemed shocked to find his wife and daughter standing outside the locker room. As soon as Angel saw him, her eyes lit up and she reached for him. As soon as Mark took her, he heard her "speak". He didn't even have to place his hand on her forehead this time. What was more, she sounded excited.
You're Daddy again
"Beth? What does she mean? She said "You're Daddy again". Is everything OK?" Mark asked.
"Didn't you feel odd when you were in the ring?" Beth asked.
"No more than usual. Why?" Mark asked.
"Because to me, it felt like you lost your soul. Angel said you'd lost all the good stuff that made you Daddy" Beth said.
"That's odd. It must be the Urn. I knew it boosted my powers, but I didn't know it boosted them that much" Mark said.
"Angel was crying so loudly and so much that Kristy was getting upset. I came out here so Davey could get her calmed down. I know it's risky…" Beth said.
"It's fine, Bethy. Just please be careful and don't wander off. If Paul finds you–" Mark started.
"It won't end well. I know, Mark. Please don't worry" Beth said.
Mark nodded. He trusted Beth above everyone else. They turned around and walked back into the locker room. Immediately, Kristy's eyes lit up. She had obviously been watching the door. She crawled over and sat on Mark's feet. He laughed and picked her up.
"She loves you two as much as she loves us I think" Davey said.
"I know. She lights up like a Christmas tree when she sees Mark and Beth. And Angel to a point" Owen said.
"Kristy needs all the love she can get. Especially because her Mom isn't going to love her" Bret said.
Mark and Beth agreed with that. Diana didn't seem to love Kristy at all. Mark sat with Kristy on his lap for a few more minutes. He was wondering how it was possible for a mother to hate a child as much as Diana seemed to hate Kristy. Finally, he set her down, but not before giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then he and Beth said goodbye to the others and left. He tried not to think about what Beth had said, but it had him worried. He would have to figure it all out later.
Alright, that is it for now. I can't believe I had this chapter done the whole time. I hope that I managed to simplify the Brothers of Destruction storyline, because god damn did it ever get weird and odd and slightly nuts at times. Anyway, I am going to try writing more, but please give me time. Burn out is a thing and I am still trying to recover. Love you all.~Taker's Soul Girl
